Who’s counting? Boston Globe probe raises doubts on public meeting quorums
From Boston Globe staff reporter Todd Wallack via NEFAC: While writing a story recently about the Massachusetts state pharmacy board, I noticed something odd: Only half the board members showed up for a meeting last summer — too few for a quoru ...
First Amendment Foundation annual Sunshine Seminars approaching
From First Amendment Foundation: It's that time again! FAF's annual Sunshine Seminars are just around the corner. These one day seminars provide an overview of Florida's public records and public meetings requirements in an informative and interactive format. The seminars are helpful for anyone who uses public records as well as for agency employees who are required to stay current on the law. CLE credits from the Florida Bar are pending. Dates and locations for the seminars: read more ...
Battle to control public records requests heats up in Washington
From Mercer Island Reporter: Those looking for a more transparent government are increasingly relying on public records to make it happen. They hope the more documents they obtain, the clearer their view of what’s really going on behind ...
Frank Gibson: Tennessee ‘sunshine’ dimmed by one watchdog’s assessment
Opinion from Frank Gibson via The Leaf Chronicle: It will not come as news to anyone that Tennessee’s public meetings and open records laws fall in the lower ranks when compared to the open government laws of the other 49 states. Now a ...
DOJ ordered to turn over documents in Ensign probe
From TheHill.com: The Justice Department is being forced to hand over an index of every document amassed in its criminal investigation of former Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.). The federal court decision will grant the Citizens for Responsibility ...
Cellphone companies say they don’t save text messages
From News-Gazette.com: City Attorney Fred Stavins said that, even if they are public records, deleted text messages are impossible to recover, and the city's legal department provided The News-Gazette with its research to prove it. In December 2012, city officials called around to various cellphone providers to determine how long those records are retained in the cell company's files. [. . .] AT&T: No records are kept of customers' text messages — that data can only be accessed on a customer's phone. read more ...
Dueling sides seek help of Iowa Public Information Board
From The Des Moines Register: A new Iowa board may help resolve decades of tension between public records advocates and government officials. On one side are officials who say that some Iowans have made dozens — even hundreds — of ...
Judge orders Utah Highway Patrol to share investigation into trooper
From The Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Highway Patrol Cpl. Shawn Alton says his 2011 request to search a man’s SUV and trailer had the proper approval. But court records show the Emery County attorney told Alton he didn’t have enough pr ...
Cloud gives agencies a leg up in FOIA deluge
From FederalNewsRadio.com: New technologies and the cloud are making it easier for agencies to deal with the onslaught of Freedom of Information Act requests they've been receiving over the last few years. FOIA-in-the-cloud is a growing trend among agencies that need to ease the paper and cost burdens. Edith Pemberton, the manager of Information Management and Customer Relations at the Federal Housing Finance Agency, said the housing crisis over the last few years has had a huge impact in the number of FOIA requests. read more ...
Mackinac Center hosts town hall meetings on government transparency
From the Mackinac Center for Public Policy: As part of its Open Government Initiative, the Mackinac Center in July and August hosted four town hall meetings around Michigan to help educate residents about the Freedom of Information and Ope ...
